Literary Elements Literary elements- Literary Elements must be used in a text to make it more interesting. Some literary elements include: characterisation and irony. They are almost always used in texts and poems.
Allegory:
Dictionary Definition:a story, poem, or picture which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Working definition: It is a hidden meaning or moral in a story, movie or poem
Example:
C.S. Lewis – The Chronicles of Narnia - generic allegorical elements of good and evil, as well as many Christian themes.
Antagonist:
Dictionary Definition: person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something Working Definition: A person against the protagonist in a book, movie... Examples: -In the Harry Potter novels and movies, Draco Malfoy is the antagonist. -In Cinderella, the step sisters are the antagonists.
Character: Dictionary Definition: a person in a novel, play, or film Working Definition: a person in a play or book. Examples:
Jake from the television show two and a half men
Ivy from the novel kissed by an angel
Jacob from the movie Twilight
Climax: Dictionary Definition: the most intense, exciting, or important point of something Working Definition: the most exciting and interesting part of a book, movie, play... Example:
When Cinderella is at the ball in the movie
when Harry Potter kills Voldemort
Conflict:
1. to come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, at variance, or in
opposition; clash: The account of one eyewitness conflicted with that of the
other. My class conflicts with my going to the concert.
In our own words:
When two people or ideas don't work well together.
Examples:
1.He wanted to go swimming while the others wanted to go play soccer.
2.The account of one eyewitness conflicted with that of the other. My class conflicts with my going to the concert.
Context:
The parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follows a specific word or passage.
In our own words:
The words surrounding one word you don’t understand, helps you understand it.
Examples:
1) His crime was heinous. He killed him in cold blood
2) You have misinterpreted my remarks because you took it out of context
Mood:
stat or quality of feeling at a particular time. in our own words:
How a person feels at the moment. A situation can also feel heavy. Examples:
1) ‘Those are always my favourite'
2) ‘I want to go to an exotic restaurant’
Concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong. in our own words:
End of a story there is usually a moral. Especially kids books. Examples:
1) ‘Do not cry wolf for no reason. Or else they won’t listen when it really will happen.’(the little boy who the wolf, novel)
Pathos:
Example: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a great example of because it is a tragic love story which creates an emotional response which is feeling pitiful for Romeo and Juliet.
Example: The example of pathos in Thomas Hardy's Far from Madding Crow is when Fanny is supposed to go and marry Troy but by accident goes to the wrong church, so Troy calls of the wedding.
Example: This is an example of pathos because it makes the reader want to donate to the charity
A save the children's advertisement
Plot:
O.E.D(n) The main events of a play, novel, film, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence.
Working definition: the important parts of a story.
Point Of View:
O.E.D(n) The position from which something or someone is observed
Working definition: The perspective of something or someone.
Example: "I try not to, but I can't help thinking of my mother and Prim, wondering if they will sleep a wink tonight." Quote from Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This quote is written in the first person perspective, Katniss is says this.
Example: "Riva Reich, from a well-to-do family in Stolpce, urged her relatives to follow the retreating troops. But her mother who had been a fugitive during World war I refused to leave." Quote from Defiance by Nechama Tec. This quote is written in the third person.
Example: "The Russians released Karl in 1949, four years after the war had ended." Quote from THE BOY WHO DARED by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. This quote is written in the fourth person.
book cover of THE BOY WHO DARED
Protagonist:
O.E.D (n) The leading character or one of the major characters in a play, film novel, etc..
Working definition: The main character of the story.
Example: Holden Caufield is the protagonist in the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger.
Example: Harry Potter is the protagonist of a series of books by J.K Rowling
Example: Alice is the protagonist of the book Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Alice from Alice in Wonderland
Setting
O.E.D (N) The place and time at which a play, novel or film is represented as happening.
Working definition: The environment of the story.
Example: Most of the setting in Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, is at Battle School in space, it is based on the future.
Example: Most of the setting in the Harry Potter series, by J.K Rowling, is at Hogwarts, a wizard school.
Example: Most of the setting in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis is in Narnia.
Map of Narnia
Theme: OED Definition: An idea that recurrs in or pervades a work of art or literature.
Our definition: The main idea of a story.
Eg:"Love is blind,""Don't judge a book by its cover" and "Love bites."
Tone: OED Definition: The general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation.
Our definition: An emotion or feeling of a story, poem.
Literary elements-
Literary Elements must be used in a text to make it more interesting. Some literary elements include: characterisation and irony. They are almost always used in texts and poems.
Allegory:
Dictionary Definition:a story, poem, or picture which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Working definition: It is a hidden meaning or moral in a story, movie or poem
Example:
C.S. Lewis – The Chronicles of Narnia - generic allegorical elements of good and evil, as well as many Christian themes.
Dictionary Definition: person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something
Working Definition: A person against the protagonist in a book, movie...
Examples:
-In the Harry Potter novels and movies, Draco Malfoy is the antagonist.
-In Cinderella, the step sisters are the antagonists.
Character:
Dictionary Definition: a person in a novel, play, or film
Working Definition: a person in a play or book.
Examples:
- Jake from the television show two and a half men
- Ivy from the novel kissed by an angel
- Jacob from the movie Twilight
Climax:Dictionary Definition: the most intense, exciting, or important point of something
Working Definition: the most exciting and interesting part of a book, movie, play...
Example:
Conflict:
1. to come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, at variance, or in
opposition; clash: The account of one eyewitness conflicted with that of the
other. My class conflicts with my going to the concert.
In our own words:
When two people or ideas don't work well together.
Examples:
1.He wanted to go swimming while the others wanted to go play soccer.
2.The account of one eyewitness conflicted with that of the other. My class conflicts with my going to the concert.
Context:
The parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follows a specific word or passage.
In our own words:
The words surrounding one word you don’t understand, helps you understand it.
Examples:
1) His crime was heinous. He killed him in cold blood
2) You have misinterpreted my remarks because you took it out of context
Mood:
stat or quality of feeling at a particular time.in our own words:
How a person feels at the moment. A situation can also feel heavy.
Examples:
1) ‘Those are always my favourite'
2) ‘I want to go to an exotic restaurant’
Moral:
Concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong.in our own words:
End of a story there is usually a moral. Especially kids books.
Examples:
1) ‘Do not cry wolf for no reason. Or else they won’t listen when it really will happen.’(the little boy who the wolf, novel)
Pathos:
O.E.D(n) A quality that evokes pity or sadness.
Example: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a great example of because it is a tragic love story which creates an emotional response which is feeling pitiful for Romeo and Juliet.
Example: The example of pathos in Thomas Hardy's Far from Madding Crow is when Fanny is supposed to go and marry Troy but by accident goes to the wrong church, so Troy calls of the wedding.
Example: This is an example of pathos because it makes the reader want to donate to the charity
Plot:
O.E.D(n) The main events of a play, novel, film, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence.
Working definition: the important parts of a story.
Point Of View:
O.E.D(n) The position from which something or someone is observed
Working definition: The perspective of something or someone.
Example: "I try not to, but I can't help thinking of my mother and Prim, wondering if they will sleep a wink tonight." Quote from Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This quote is written in the first person perspective, Katniss is says this.
Example: "Riva Reich, from a well-to-do family in Stolpce, urged her relatives to follow the retreating troops. But her mother who had been a fugitive during World war I refused to leave." Quote from Defiance by Nechama Tec. This quote is written in the third person.
Example: "The Russians released Karl in 1949, four years after the war had ended." Quote from THE BOY WHO DARED by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. This quote is written in the fourth person.
Protagonist:
O.E.D (n) The leading character or one of the major characters in a play, film novel, etc..
Working definition: The main character of the story.
Example: Holden Caufield is the protagonist in the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger.
Example: Harry Potter is the protagonist of a series of books by J.K Rowling
Example: Alice is the protagonist of the book Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Setting
O.E.D (N) The place and time at which a play, novel or film is represented as happening.
Working definition: The environment of the story.
Example: Most of the setting in Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, is at Battle School in space, it is based on the future.
Example: Most of the setting in the Harry Potter series, by J.K Rowling, is at Hogwarts, a wizard school.
Example: Most of the setting in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis is in Narnia.
Theme:
OED Definition: An idea that recurrs in or pervades a work of art or literature.
Our definition: The main idea of a story.
Eg:"Love is blind,""Don't judge a book by its cover" and "Love bites."
Tone:
OED Definition: The general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation.
Our definition: An emotion or feeling of a story, poem.
Eg: Happy, angry and confused.
Speaker:
OED Definition: A person who speaks.
Our Definition: A person who speaks in a poem or story.
Eg: A protagonist, antagonist and third person.